Weight actuated mechanism and machine



Dec. 9, 1952 P. G. CRISAFULLI WEIGHT ACTUATED MECHANISM AND MACHINE 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 6. 1948 [HUM J abbot-neg Dgc. 9, 1952 P. s.CRISAFULLI 3,

WEIGHT ACTUATED MECHANISM AND MACHINE Filed May s, 1948 5 sheets' sheet2 FIGr-E Dec. 9, 1952 I P. G. CRISAFULLI 2,620,914

WEIGHT ACTUATED MECHANISM AND momma Filed May a, 1948 5 sheets-sheet s Tick-(o pter G. Crzisafullz. {Baa/ember b giia abwme O GH P. G.CRISAFULLI 2,620,914

WEIGHT ACTUATED MECHANISM AND MACHINE 5 sheets-wsheet 4 Dec. 9, 1952Filed May 6, 1948 m w m ww m W 0 m w. MP/M0 a L r. c @I a ab P Dec. 9,1952 FU L 2,620,914

WEIGHT ACTUATED MECHANISM AND MACHINE Filed May 6, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5ORNEY Patented Dec. 9, 1952 OFFICE WEIGHT ACTUATED MECHANISM AND MACHINEPeter G. Crisafulli, Newark; N J

Application May 6, 1948, Serial No. 25,375

11 Claims. 1:

Thisinvention deals with a weight-actuated. mechanism and with machinesincorporating such mechanism. More specifically, it relates to aweight-actuated lever arm pivoted near the center, the actuation beingaccomplished by gravity action of a weight dropped over thelower portionof the arm and to coin vending and dispensing units, and other machinesof a similar character.

Conventional dispensing machines now require highly complicatedelectrical circuits, moving mechanisms and expensive switches in orderto maintain a reasonably high eliiciency. Yet, in spite of thesefeatures, the maintenance'problem in conjunction therewith is a seriousone, and expert technicians are required as trouble shooters andservicemen. In such units, considerable arcing; fusing, pitting andcoating of contacts take-place, since each contact generally closes anelectrical circuit to prepare the machine for the next succeedingelectrical or mechanical 'opera tion. In many instances a D. C. are istoo hot for switches inthe machines, so that such-machines can operateonly on A. C. Mostofthe difficulty is due generally to the'large numberof parts, particularly moving parts, which incur the danger of jamming,high maintenance costs and the like.

Much of the serious trouble incurred with present daydispensingmachines-occurs in the coin registering mechanisms which are generallymicro-switch and solenoid'combinations. A considerable portion of thecost of such machines is also due to the expensive die-casting incurred.There are many other disadvantages of conventional machines which willbe mentioned in the discussionto-follow.

Oneobject of the present invention is to provide a'simple cheapactuating unit and assembly, the parts of which may be all produced on apower press from sheet metal, thereby eliminating die casting andsimilar expensive forming operations. Anotherobject is toincorporateonly a small number-of moving parts traveling for a shortdistance-only, thereby reducing wear to a minimum and givingthe-apparatus a long life. A still further object is to provide acircuit wherein the contacts close in succession, operating in an opencircuit up to the final actuating operation for the dispensing or otherfinal operation of the machine, whereby arcing at the contactsispractically eliminated and no condensers'are found necessary acrosspractically all of theswitch contact points, and fusing, pitting andother switching diificulties are reduced to a bare-minimum.

A further purposeis to provide amachinewhichonly inexperiencedxtroubleshooters and imai ne. tenance men. Other purposes will be apparent fromthe description which is to: follow.

The invention will bemorereadilyunderstood' by reference to the drawingsin which Figure-,1

is a front view-of the lever arm actuatingmechanism while Figure 2 isaside view thereof as in.- dicated by line II-II-oftFigure '1. Anisometric front view of the housing: channel, for the .actu atingassembly is. shown in Figure .3. Figure 1- depicts an isometric-frontviewpof the ,coinngate which fits and slides. within the channel shownin' Figure3. Figure 5 illustrates a front'view of the channel or channelhousing showing. the

stacked weight-actuated lever arms ready to be actuated by fallingweights- A frontrview ofa complete assembly of .one embodiment of this:invention is shown in Figure '6, as applied to a coin vending machine.Figures 7-10 .are phantom side views in simplified .form, showing thesuccessive steps in the operationuof an .assembly.

such as that depicted in Figure 16, while'tFigure 11 illustrates aschematic electrical diagram illustrating the wiring employed for avending ma- .'..,chine employing the mechanism of the present inventionas illustrated in Figure 6 and adapted to be activatedafter-insertion-of five coins. Similar numbers refer to similar parts inthe various figures.

Referring again to the figures, and particularly to Figures 1. and 2,numeral I representsa lever arm having projecting side lugs land .8which project forwardly. The upper portion of lever arm I ispreferablybifurcatedwith sideprongs 2 and -3 straddlingcentrally disposed openspace 6 (mainly for weight saving), prongs Zand S being beveled at thevupperiback edges H to faci1i-' tate continuous riding over thefrontsurface by coins or weights when the prongs are-contacting the back wallof channel housing l9 (Fig; 2). The lower portion 4 of arm I ispreferably narrowed to a centrally disposed strip, bent forwardly atpoint 5 at an angle of about 20. Lower portion 4 is extendedsufliciently so that it projects through the central opening of the backwall 39 of coin gate 33 (Fig. 4) when arm I is not actuated by coin 8|,and said portion 4 is'almost in juxtaposition with back wallsections 4|4-3, etc. of coin gate 33-when arm I isactuatedby a coin. Lugs land 8'are providedwith laterally disposed holes 86 in which is held wire 9, inloose pivoted relation, at a point somewhat below the center of gravityof lever arm I. One end ID of wire 9 projects from lug 8 to act as asupport for lever arm I in channel housing I9. This wire 9, is bent andextended under lower portion 4 of arm I (somewhat above the middlesection of said lower portion) and bent again in reverse direction andallowed to protrude outwardly through lug "I, the protrusion being bentinto arm I2 and lever handle l3 which acts as the actuating means forcompleting a circuit or performing other electrical or mechanicaloperation upon actuation of lever arm I by a weight. Horizontal portion8'! of wire 9 extending from lug 1 (Fig. 1) serves as a pivot shaft forholding the other side of lever arm I in side 29 of channel housing I9.

As is shown in Figure 2, a coin falling from slot IT and chute I8 fallsalong the forward side of bifurcated arms 2 and 3 and down over thefront surface of lower projection 4, whereupon the weight of the coincasuses the upper section of lever arm I to tilt forward on pivots l and81, thereby pushing backward wire arm I I which, in turn, causesprotruding lever arm I3 to move forward thereby closing the switch orother mechanism to be actuated. As is apparent from Figure 2, when thisoccurs, the back surface of upper arms 2 and 3 become flush with thewall of chute I3, thereby allowing the succeeding coin to slide alongthe back surface of lever arm I onto the front surfaces of thebifurcated upper arms of the next lower lever arm 94' (Fig. 5) which isshaped and mounted similarly to lever arm I at a point immediately underlever arm I. Succeeding coins thus actuate succeeding levers such as I3,which then actuate their adjacently disposed switches, until thelowermost lever arm 84, is made available for coin actuation. Up to thispoint, if lever arms I3 and I3 are employed for closing switches, suchswitches still may be in an open circuit, which circuit stays open evenafter actuation of lever arm 84 and switch actuating arm 85, which makesthe unit ready for dispensing or other operation. The latter operationis effected by a switch such as lI (Fig. 6), or a mechandise selectorswitch which then closes the entire circuit. Any succeeding coinsinserted in slot I! (Fig. 5) after the lowermost lever arm 84 has beenactuated by means of a coin (before the circuit is closed by switch'iI), will be uninterrupted in travel and will continue through chute 68and emerge into coin return hopper 69 (Fig. 6)

It is desirable that all sharp edges and protrusions in the line of cointravel be beveled off so that the coin is not hindered in its travel.For this reason it is desirable to bevel off edge 99 on both sides ofarm I. Lever I3 is insulated by sleeve 98 having collar 91 fitting overcontact 62 so that sleeve 98 cannot slip off.

It will be apparent that when the last coin is inserted into thelowermost arm, the circuit is complete and is ready to be closed fordispensing of the article purchased, by throwing a mechandise dispensingswitch such as switch II (Fig. 6). When a single product is to bedispensed, the switch is preferably a 2-way switch as shown by II. Whenthrown one way to return the coins in the machine, it may actuatesolenoid 12 (Fig. 6), which pulls down arm 14 pivoted at '15 to a fixedpivot on mounting or base 79. It will be observed that arm I4 ispivotally attached to arm 11 of solenoid I2. The left end 18 of arm I4is in pivoted relation to pivot post 59 projecting forwardly from theupper portion of back wall 39 of coin gate 33. As lever arm I4 is pulleddown, coin gate 33 is also pulled down since it is attached to post 59.

Coin gate 33 (Fig. 4) is mounted inside channel housing I9 (Fig. 3) invertical sliding relation thereto. This coin gate has narrow side walls34 which are provided with inwardly directed front lips 36 and 3'! forretaining the coins traveling within the gate, the gate being wideenough for the coins to travel easily edgewise therein. The upper andlower front faces of lips 36 and 31 have attached thereon plates 59, 53,etc. which protrude as bearing surfaces 48, 5I, etc. from sides 34 and35 of gate 33. Curved bottom portions 49, 52, etc. on these protrusionsare provided to facilitate easy movement of the bearing surfaces 48, 5|,etc. which ride over the cut-out side edges 22 and 29 of channel I9. Thelower edges 23, 39, etc. of cut-out portions 22, 29, etc. are beveled(at 23 and 30) to allow travel thereon of bearing surfaces 48, 5 I,etc., this inclined-plane movement causing a forward movement of gate 33with respect to channel I9, separating the gate from the channel. Gate33 is flexibly mounted in channel I9 and is retained therein by springs25 anchored at points 24 and looped around pins 26 to providespringiness, and extending over the outer side edges of channel I9.Springs 25 are also bent inwardly through slots 21 and 28 and projecttherethrough so that bent ends I6 (bent at I 5) of springs 25 pressagainst the faces of lips 36 and 3! of gate 33.

As stated previously, coin gate 33 has a cutout open space (at 38, 46,etc.) in its back wall 39. the remaining portion of the back beingpresent as retaining ends 4|, 43, etc. serving to retain the coins 8|,82, etc. (Fig. 6) falling on lower portions 4, etc. of lever arms I,etc. Slots 40, 42, 45, etc. are provided in these remaining back strips,the upper edges of the slots being almost in juxtaposition with thelower edges of the arm portions 4 of lever arms I.

The action of solenoid 12 causes gate 33 to be pulled downwardly andoutwardly with respect to channel I9 and the arms I holding coins BI,thereby allowing the coins to drop through the open space 9I (Fig. 10)and into chute portion 46 having lower deflecting arm 55, therebycausing the coins to travel through chute 68 into coin return hopper 69(Fig. 6).

In the event the material purchased is to be dispensed, switch II isthrown in the opposite direction than heretofore described for coinreturn, thus simultaneously with the dispensing operation, causingactuation of solenoid l3, pulling solenoid arm I6 pivoted to end 88 ofthe lever arm pivoted to base 19 at "I5, which causes the other end I8of arm 14 to be raised, which in turn causes raising of coin gate 33,the bearing surfaces 48, 5|, etc. of which slide upwardly on cut-outedges 22, 29, etc. Bearing surfaces 48, 5|, etc. are attached to lips 35and 31 by means of soldered plates 59, 53. During this movement, thereis no forward motion of gate 33 separating it from channel I9. Thisupward motion allows slots 40, 42, 45, etc. in back wall 39 of gate 33to come into juxtaposition with the lower edges of coins BI, 82, etc.,thus causing the coins to slip through these slots (40, 42, etc.) andride downwardly inside space 90 of gate 33 (Fig. 9), lips 35 and 3'!preventing the coins from falling out of the gate. These coins continuedownwardly and spill into chute 61 (Fig. 6) which deflects the coinsinto side-26 of=channel f9 and are provided-with contact points =62,'-etc. which areclosed =by-levers +3. :3 ete; attached tolever arms letc; Wire-6|- is-a lead to the first switbh while -wire66' is a-leadfrom the-final switchcompleting the coin actil ating circuit.

The operaticnr-pif the machine illustrated in Figure 6 is-depictedschematically in Figures 7-10;"-l' igure 7 showing the lever arms --ininactive positiona Figureshows four "ofthe-lever arms raised by ooinsresting against back walls 4 I, 'etci' ot'coin gate-3e. When coin-89 isdropped-intothe' last lever'arm' GM-) the operating circuit'is closed upto=theopen-dispensing switch-1i (Fig; 6); and wliemxthis switch istripped'fordispensingthe productpurch'ased; coingatetii is -raised asin" Figure -9 until sl'otsdll, 4-2,- etc. are injuxtaposition With th'e'bottoms of the coins 8 l-, 'etc;, thereby 'allowing 'the coins to fall'therethrough edge wise into coin gate'space SO and finally intothecashbox 70". If 'swit'ch l l'is' tripped for thepurposeof returningthe coins to the prospective purchasen-coin gate 'fie 'is'meved-downwardly and outwardly; and the coins ran through space-9'1(Fig. 10) between the bottom edges of the -lever armsv l and the backwall-strips 4 I ofthe coin gate; overdeflector 55", and thence into acoin re turn hopper'blli It will be-observed that in the present systemthe coinsstack from the top-down whereas;inconventi'onaI systems nowin--use; the coins stacein the-reverse direction, i. e'., frombottom-up;

It is apparent from 'this description that practically all of. the partsmay be produced from pressed sheet metal 'and' there i-s' no-necessity-for employing die-cast parts. Furthermore; the moving partstravel: over onlya short distance and the unit. possesses a long life.Another inherent advantageisrthe fact that "only a small number ofpartsiare. required, these parts being simple. in construction,thereby-eliminating theneed for highly trained technical personnel"fortrouble shooting; and maintenance The coin gate hold down springs actasneutral positioners for coin .gate 33 mounted in channel I9, since-they?act 170' pull gate '33 down from the inclined 'planes' orramps Al to theneutral position; where: thexgate is-ready again to'recieive coinsfromslot l1- Unnecessaryduplication. is" eliminated by using the samesprings 25 to return gate '33 'afteractuation or movingof the gatefordischarging.coinsintozeither chute;

'I'hebent wire levers "I73, etc. attached to coin holder lever'armetc.serve atdual purpose to support the coin holder leverarmsiuponactuation) and-also to operate the". electricalscontacts,thereby-eliminating .theneed fortrivets for holding arms, etc;

Flatbearing lugs 48, 51, etc, not-only act as bearing surfaces forthe'tcoin'gate'but also act to maintain proper clearance between thegate-andcoin holder lever arms l. Actuation of the coin gatecan-beaccomplished by .directtlinkage to an outside -leverwhich=can belinked for either coin discharge or dispensing operations by means of asingle lever arm, although the use of solenoids makes the-unitmorefool-proof and p'laces under- Figure and I36, and-a branch line 1.37from line .l36leads controlzthexiforce'impo'sedron:thexmachine. The

presentxunitzmay b'eflmodified to 'allow' dropping: coin'slintoaapartiti'onedlchute leading :to a partitio'n'ed coin .box t'which-.:wou1d: segregate 'nickels; dimes;;quarters, etc.. for easier countingFigure :11: represents the electrical #circuit' employed ifor theoperation of the unitillustrated in Voltage is 'applie'dx-at.terminals.I35

to coin return solenoid 12, the other terminal-oi whicdis attached:.tocontact l4! of switch' 'll. Commonterminal? fi8iofiswitch l3 isled tooutlet I351;

From the .juncturewithdine' I31, line-l36 connectswiith line ita9 'towhich are connected; in series; switches 60565;, etc. which are actuatedby lever arms l, 84",. etcwhen' they, in turn, are actuated by coins 8|,89, etc. The terminal of last =switch :is :connected with dine t4 5leading todierminali lfix whichsconnects withthe displens ingtzmotortormerchandise selector switch; The othert'erminalM2101.thisiconnectionisxconnected to rlinedfliflqleading; to;coincollecting: solenoid the-other. terminal: :of which is connectedwith contact-1440f switch TH.

It a will beobserved that :any coins present: in leverarms which actuateswitches 60, 65,.etc. may be returned:tothecustomer byactuating-solenoid 1.2-. with switch! I; However, actuation oflsoleinoid"L31 cannot be accomplished unless allot the five. coins arepresentan'dvare actuatingthel'ever arms whichwactuate switches 60;: 65etc; Whenall of .the.coins are gpresent, actuation of, solenoid T3 .byswitch .H- will close the-circuitpp to con-- nection. |42-l4;3 tor thedispensing operation.

Channels, leverarms and-gates are provided for. I

eachtype of coin Inrthis case there=would-be three channel gateassemblies,- -but they all may be connected .toicommon .coin hoppers.

Although. most .01? the .discussionherein: has. been directedlmainly tothe application oi -the present device .to .coin dispensing machines,the weight-actuateddevice. is applicable to any actuati'ng, mechanism tobeactuated (in each gate) bymeans of substantially regular. shapedweights of"substantially equal weight. .In other .words, differentweights may be used in .difierent'coin. gates;3all"of which'maybeconnected electrically and7or'm'echanically to the proper circuits andcoin dischargehoppers.

Various 'modifi'cation's'ofthe present. device are possible.F'onexamplexit' is' possible to control carefullythe width of "space '9I in .Fig. 8"so that thinnereoinssuch' as dimes may 'fall" through upperarms-"and be" caught by proper spacing in lower arms, whilethe-upperarms mayicatch and-hold thicker coins, "such as nickels; "for example;

As in other-machines, slugs may berejecte'd in the present machine byinserting a slugde= tector unit in the coin-chute above the coinactuated lever-arms, there beinga separate-chute provided todischarge-the rej ected slugs intoth'e coin return hopper;

I'nsteadof the wire 9" for actuating-theex traneous" device (e. 'g.switch I 3), the -lever'le may be directly attached to lever arm 1byweld ing, soldering, etc. so thati'tmoves with arm 1*. Other actuatingmeans may-be provided; in-

stead-o'flever l3; for"actuating'anexternal device; such as a-switch orelectrical contact under each lower portion 4 of' arm -I,- for example,in which-ease proper insulating precautions would necessarily have'to'betaken.

The raising of the gate can *be' called*the=-coin collecting position ofthe gate, while the lowering and separating operation of the gate may betermed as the coin return operation. However, such operations need notbe limited to such uses and it is apparent that, with proper changesobvious to those skilled in the art, the uses for these operations maybe reversed. Also, the hoppers for holding the dropped coins may beemployed either for returning or collecting the As stated previously,although the use of this mechanism has been applied particularly to coindispensing machines, it may be used in other mechanical or electricaloperations, as for example, in cases where a weight is dropped on thelever arm I for a certain period for actuating an external device, andthen lifted again.

I claim:

1. In a weight actuated unit for actuating an extraneous device, whereinthe weight is fed edgewise through a chute into the unit down asubstantially vertical channel having side walls and a back, into theupper portion of which the chute feeds, and having at least oneuprightly disposed lever arm having an upwardly projecting portion and adownwardly and forwardly projecting portion, said lever arm beingpivotally mounted near its center and at its sides to the sides of saidchannel far enough away from the back wall of the channel to allowsufficient room behind the pivoted portion of said lever arm to allowanother weight to pass therethrough when said lever arm is actuated by aweight, said actuating weight resting on the lower portion of the leverarm below the pivot when it actuates the lever arm by moving forward theupper projecting portion of said arm, the improvement comprising movableretaining means in front of the lower portion of the lever arm forholding said weight and preventing it from leaving said arm, a centrallydisposed opening in said retaining means for allowing protrusiontherethrough of at least a part of the lower portion of said lever arm,a horizontally disposed opening in said retaining means, disposed injuxtaposition with said actuating weight when said retaining means ismoved vertically to discharge said weight therethrough, actuating meansattached to said lever arm, working in conjunction therewith anddisposed in a manner such that a movement of the lever arm istransmitted through said actuating means to actuate an extraneousdevice, thrust means on said arm for automatically returning the upperprojecting portion of said lever arm back in contact with the channelback wall after the actuating weight has been discharged from said arm,and moving means attached to said retaining means for vertically movingsaid retaining means.

2. A weight actuated unit according to claim '1 in which the movableretaining means is a gate attached to the front side edges of saidchannel, holding means on said channel for holding said gate, andsliding means on said channel and gate to allow sliding of said gate ina vertical direction to discharge said weight while said gate is held bysaid holding means.

3. A weight actuated unit according to claim 1 in which the movableretaining means is a gate attached to the front side edges of saidchannel, flexible holding means on said channel for holding said gateand allowing said gate to be spread away from said channel, and rigidseparating means on said channel sides for separating said gate fromsaid channel when the latter is moved vertically, separating the gatefrom the channel sufficiently to allow the weight held by the lever armto drop down therebetween.

4. A weight actuated unit according to claim 1 in which the thrust meanscomprises an additional weight in the upper portion of said lever armabove the pivot, thereby causing an unbalance which causes said upperportion to contact the channel back when it is in idle position, saidadditional weight being only in such amount as to allow actuation ofsaid lever arm by said actuating weight when the latter is dropped onsaid lever arm.

5. A weight actuated unit according to claim 4 in which the movableretaining means is a gate attached to the front side edges of saidchannel, a series of superimposed lever arms vertically disposed in saidchannel in over lapping relation to each other so that the lower end ofthe upper arm extends down to about the middle portion of the next lowerarm, and the gate comprises a plate carrying said openings, said gatebeing disposed in front of said channel and slidably disposed upon theside edges thereof, side members projecting forwardly from the sideedges of said plate, and oppositely disposed, inwardly-directed lipsextending from the front edges of said side members and completing anenclosure through which said discharged weights may be passed, said lipsbeing sufficiently close together to prevent egress of coins through thespace therebetween.

6. A weight actuated unit according to claim 5 in which the front edgesof the sides of the channel have oppositely disposed cut-out sections inthe form of inclined plane surfaces by means of which the gate isseparated horizontally from the channel as it is pulled thereover, andlips projecting from the front edges of the side members of the gate,disposed over and in juxtaposition with the inclined plane surfaces andserving as bearing surfaces for said gate.

'7. A weight actuated unit according to claim 6 in which the forwardportions of the sides of the channel have spring mountings, springsdisposed on said mountings, an inclined plane surface disposed on eachof the inwardly-directed lips extending from the front edges of the sidemembers of said gate, and a projecting end on each spring disposed onthe corresponding latter inclined plane surface of the gate in flexibleretaining relation thereto.

8. A weight actuated unit according to claim 7 in which the moving meansfor said gate comprises an arm, a pivot mounted on said gate and towhich one end of said latter arm is pivotally attached, a mounting onwhich the channel is mounted, a fixed pivot on said mounting to whichthe said latter arm is attached near its center and for which it acts asa fulcrum, and pulling means for pulling the other end of the latter armin a vertical direction.

9. A weight actuated unit according to claim 1 in which the actuatingmeans attached to the lever arm is a second lever arm extending from thepivot into space outside of said channel, for contacting an extraneousdevice located in said space.

10. A weight actuated unit according to claim i) in which the firstlever arm has, attached to it, forwardly projecting lugs extending fromthe sides of said arm at below the center of gravity of said lever arm,laterally directed holes in said lugs for housing the pivots, a wiredisposed through said holes and acting as the pivots for said lever arm,a flat loop in said wire behind the lower portion of said lever arm, andan extension of said wire from one of said pivots, extending in the formof a second lever arm into space outside of said channel for contactingan extraneous device located in said space.

11. A weight actuated unit according to claim 1 in which the lowerportion of the uprightly disposed lever arm is a flat, narrow,centrally-disposed strip of width narrower than that of the upperportion.

PETER G. CRISAFULLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number 10 Number UNITED STATES PATENTS

